


Little Bits

by nommonkeypie (Tessa_Harrison)



Series: can't get you out of my head [1]
Category: Block B
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2016-11-25
Packaged: 2018-09-02 05:18:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8652448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tessa_Harrison/pseuds/nommonkeypie
Summary: A jolt of...something...went through Jaehyo as the rapper caught his eye. Those eyes. Scary and piercing and gorgeous all at once. He felt like they could see into his soul, to the innermost part of his core. The guy gave Jaehyo a little smirk and turned, the move part of the choreography the group was doing.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For Mena and Galya <3
> 
> Idea comes from them: a fansite master and his bias

“Hey, uh, I hope you don’t mind but I gave your number to my boss. The photographer we had for this music festival I’m covering flaked and I really need someone. I know you don’t like doing stuff like this but you’re the best I could think of who might be free last minute. It’s a good, legit job.”

Jaehyo stared at his phone, playing the message for a third time. He knew the voice, recognized it as a sunbae who’d graduated the year before him. Was this real? He noticed a second message and played that one too.

He sat, stunned at the offer. It was his sunbae’s boss and the number he’d been offered had entirely too many zeros but he wasn’t one to complain. Not when that number would pay the rent for his (albeit rather shitty) work studio/home for the next two months.

Working a music festival though...the idea wasn’t exactly entertaining but he could do it. He would. For that little bit of security, he could force himself to do it. Besides, who knew? Maybe he’d have fun. Probably not. A little bit of searching said it’d be some gathering of idols and idol groups. Not exactly his thing (too showy and gaudy for his tastes if he were to be honest) but a day of it wouldn’t kill him.

-

Okay too many fangirls. Jaehyo felt like he was literally swimming in them. How were there so many fangirls? Was every freaking girl in the country here? Still a job was a job and at least the nifty little press badge his sunbae had shoved into his hand a few hours ago at the ass crack of noon let him escape to slightly less crowded areas. His poor camera was getting battered though. Hopefully it’d survive the day.

The group on the stage (some group of girls that looked like they should be in middle school and were making him feel old) said good-bye. Jaehyo turned to the crowd, snapping shots of them as the stage’s MC starting talking about the girls. He tuned the man out. These weren’t anything special and the magazine his sunbae worked for (and Jaehyo by extension for this job) would probably throw them away but they’d be good to add to his personal portfolio.

“A-yo, do you wanna B?”

“Block B! Hello, we are Block B!”

...was that seriously how this group was introducing themselves? How lame. It took everything in him not to roll his eyes as he turned to look at the group on stage.

They didn’t look like kids. That was a plus in favor of them. Five of them. A respectable number. And then the guy in the front, the one who’d started the greeting, opened his mouth and started.

Jaehyo wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting but that...that wasn’t it. He couldn’t look away, his camera forgotten at his side as he stared at the dark haired rapper (because he was rapping and Jaehyo had never been a fan of rap before but he was pretty sure he was now).

A jolt of...something...went through Jaehyo as the rapper caught his eye. Those eyes. Scary and piercing and gorgeous all at once. He felt like they could see into his soul, to the innermost part of his core. The guy gave Jaehyo a little smirk and turned, the move part of the choreography the group was doing.

Lifting his camera, Jaehyo began taking pictures.

-

**3 years later…**

It didn’t matter how many times he did this, it never got any easier. His heart was still racing a million miles a second. Would today be the day he ended up getting exposed? That it would all come out and he’d never be able to show his face at this store again. Clutching the receipt, he nervously walked up to the counter.

The woman smiled. She was always friendly, both a blessing and a curse. “Your cousin’s busy again?” She asked as he handed over the receipt.

Jaehyo nodded. “She has a big test in a few days so she’s studying.” He hated how easily the lie came but it was easier to tell it than to admit he’d bought 12 copies of the same album for himself. Okay that was a lie. Ten of them were meant for some of the people who’d decided to order through FoxZi but that wasn’t something he could just easily tell this woman.

“Tell her I expect her to do well,” the woman said. “Your order’s in the back. Give me 5 minutes and I’ll get it.”

Again, he nodded, smiling politely. He wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t the biggest order he’d ever placed but there were just enough that he was glad that he’d brought his car. Carrying the box to his studio would suck otherwise. Because the woman came back with a box. Well, actually she had a boy with her who was carrying the box. From the resemblance between the two, he’d guess her son or maybe a nephew.

Three stores and an additional 31 albums later, Jaehyo was finally home. Four boxes full of albums were stacked next to his desk. He knew he should probably take a photo, update the members of FoxZi about the albums but bringing all four of those boxes up to his third floor studio/apartment was exhausting.

That didn’t stop him from going over and opening the box on top. He pulled out the top copy, smiling at the way the picture on front looked framed. The gold color came off as a bit tacky but the artist in Jaehyo appreciated the creativity that went into deciding it should resemble a picture frame.

Each picture was nice. He could appreciate the artistry (though he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a tad jealous of Boobagraphy for being able to work with Zico). But this one...Jaehyo stopped at it, a shiver running through him as he drank in the image. He recognized the image on the tv from the ‘Pride and Prejudice’ mv. And behind the tv stood Zico with a look that could almost be described as vulnerable on his face. Before he even realized what he was doing, Jaehyo traced a finger along Zico’s jaw. Would he ever be able to capture someone so well?

Would he ever get to see Zico look like this?

Jaehyo shook his head, setting the album on his desk next to his computer. He’d set it up to display later but right now he really did need to get to work. He had spent too much of the day on fandom stuff. And the more he looked at the album, the more he thought about it, the more hopeless the situation seemed.

-

Jiho waved at the crowd. Another fansign...sometimes they felt never ending. The amount of girls at these never seemed to end. He knew he’d recognize a few because he’d seen those fans so many times but honestly at this point most of them just blurred together.

Next to him, Kyung was chatting up the fan that had just moved on from Jiho. They seemed to be getting along well. At least someone was having a good time.

Taking a moment to mentally prepare himself for the next fangirl, Jiho found himself instead faced with a rather attractive looking guy instead.

“Hey,” Jiho greeted, genuinely curious about this fan. He’d seen a few fanboys before but they were rare. Not that he minded. The few he’d met at these sorts of things had been easy to talk to.

“Hi,” the guy replied. He chewed on his lip, not saying anything else.

“Nervous?” Jiho asked, holding out his hand to shake the guy’s. “Don’t be. I don’t bite.”

That got the guy to give a little laugh. “Sorry,” he apologized. “This is my first time doing one of these.”

Jiho had already figured that out. “What’s your name?” He asked, holding his marker and getting ready to sign this guy’s album too.

The guy bit his lip again, obviously taking a moment to think about his answer. Interesting...usually they all just gave him a name right away. Finally, the guy said, “you...should call me hyung.”

Well that got Jiho’s attention. He barked out a laugh. “Hyung?” He repeated, genuinely amused. “There’s no way you’re older than me.” The guy looked like he was barely out of high school. He almost reached over to flick the guy on the forehead but stopped when the fan held up two fingers.

“Two years older,” the guy answered. “But I won’t yell at you for the disrespect.”

No way. This guy was his brother’s age? Was Hanhae-hyung’s age? Didn’t seem possible. But either it was true or this guy was being cheeky. If it was the latter, well, it was amusing and it was more fun talking to him than the endless stream of girls so Jiho decided to let it go.

“So why do you keep biting your lip? Nervous?” He asked, addressing this album to ‘hyung’ as he wrote out a variation of the message he usually wrote on these things. Too bad the guy hadn’t given him more of a name. It wasn’t every day he got to see a fanboy, especially at something other than a rap show.

“I already sad I don’t bite,” Jiho added. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kyung and the staff watching, waiting. Apparently he was taking too long to talk to this guy. “They’re going to pull you along in a moment,” Jiho warned, “but you should come to these more often if you can.”

The guy nodded and looked he was about to move over to Kyung when he paused. He actually physically stopped for a moment and something about that was amusing. “This...can I ask for a hug?” Even the fanboy’s ears were turning pink. Fanboys always were the best.

Normally Jiho wasn’t big on hugging (especially not at these sorts of things because then more and more fans starting asking for hugs) but he agreed this time, nodding his agreement. Even he had to agree that fanboys were special and it was nice to have at least one other guy (not counting Kyung because Kyung enjoyed the crap out of this because he could be as greasy as he wanted) at one of these things.

The guy was bigger than he looked. His clothes made him look like a waif but he was actually broader than he seemed to be. And there were some hard muscle there. Definitely different from hugging one of the fangirls. They were almost always soft and little. Not that Jiho was taking note of any of this or anything.

“Nice cologne,” Jiho told the fanboy. “I like it.”

The look on the guy’s face was great. Jiho couldn’t help but laugh as he watched the poor guy scoot over to Kyung, face and ears a solid pink. He watched for a moment before turning to the fangirl who’d been waiting to take the fanboy’s place.

It was a relief when the last fan scooted off the stage. It was finally over. Next to him, Kyung stood and said something to the crowd but Jiho had long ago learned how to tune the guy out. Jiho looked out at the crowd, this time noticing the lone fanboy near the back. The guy had a camera. Interesting. He’d never seen a fanboy at one of these bring a camera. Jiho gave a little wave.

The girls in the crowd cheered and it was those cheers that accompanied Jiho and Kyung off stage.

-

There was a small package addressed to him. This wasn’t new for Jiho. He could guess what was in it from the way it looked but he was surprised to get one now. Usually he was given these in person or sometimes he’d have a fansite send a bunch. And usually they sent stuff to him around his birthday. Not the middle of December. So weird but whatever.

There was a cute fox sticker on the top next to Seven Seasons address. “FoxZi?” He read, groaning at the name. Whoever this fan was, she was bold. He’d give her that.

He knew someone had already checked it, making sure it was safe for him to get whatever was in the thing so he had no qualms about opening it. He was surprised to see a framed headshot of himself. It was a good shot too. Next to it was a small bottle of aftershave and a letter.

Pulling the letter out, Jiho was surprised at the handwriting. Normally the fangirls wrote in a cutesy way, adding little hearts and whatnot. Cute but not exactly fitting the image of a rapper. Maybe some idols (after all, Kyung ate that shit up all the time) but not him. It was on a piece of fox stationary though so maybe that was why this fansite hadn’t gone all cutesy on him.

 

_ I thought this one turned out exceptionally well and thought you should have it _ .

 

The line jumped out to Jiho as he skimmed the note. Whoever she was, she was right. It was a nice photograph. The kind his mom would love to show off to all her friends.

He eyed the bottle of aftershave. It wasn’t a brad he’d heard of before and usually fangirls had horrible taste. What they liked didn’t necessarily mesh with what he liked. He sprayed a little in the air and sniffed. Surprisingly not bad. Something about it seemed familiar but it wasn’t anything special. He set the bottle next to the photograph.

Curiosity had him pulling out his phone and searching for ‘FoxZi’ (again, why that name? Who thought of these things?).

He really wasn’t surprised to see that it was a fansite. The name (and photograph) kind of gave that away. What did surprise him was the quality of the photographs. He’d seen some fan-taken photos before. It was kind of hard not to when they tagged him all the time. Most of them were good but FoxZi...these almost looked like the work of a professional.

 

_ @FoxZi You have a real talent for taking photographs. If you can, you should think about pursuing it as a career. _

 

It was probably stupid to tell the fansite that but whoever had taken it had a real talent.

-

His deadline was in twenty minutes. Jaehyo knew he had to make it. This offer was huge. One that could make or break his career in photography. He still couldn’t believe he was being offered an audition for a gallery. Three nights wasn’t much and the place wasn’t well-known but it was in a good location and if the right person noticed him, Jaehyo might actually be able to rent an actual studio instead of having to work out of his tiny apartment.

Three minutes left on the clock, he finally sent the email with the dozen photographs the gallery curator had asked for. He’d had more than a dozen picked out but it had been hard to narrow it down to just those few. He wished he could have sent more but the curator had been clear that she would accept exactly twelve. Any more or any less and she wouldn’t look at his work.

He ran his hands over his hair, trying to straighten and flatten it. A silly habit but it helped him calm down. And it was better than biting his lips again. He’d been doing that too much lately and they were starting to get chapped again. His mom was going to yell at him next time she saw him if he kept this up.

Noticing his phone blinking, Jaehyo remembered he’d set it on silent a little bit ago. It was probably just Taeil wanting to know he wanted to go out for some drinks. Which, now that he thought about it, wasn’t a bad idea. After dealing with that deadline and now waiting to hear back, a few drinks sounded great. Perfect way to deal with the jittery nerves fluttering inside himself.

Instead, FoxZi’s twitter had apparently blown up.

Strange. Jaehyo hadn’t posted any new pictures. He’d been busy going through his photographs and trying to decide what represented his portfolio best, letting fandom stuff slide off to the side. Besides, Zico hadn’t had any events lately. Well, not ones that Jaehyo had gone to. There’d been a few fansigns but he hadn’t even tried for one of them. He wasn’t a fansign sort of guy. He knew a lot of people thrived on them, on the close contact and the chance to get to meet their idol, but that wasn’t Jaehyo. He’d always thought things like fansigns were awkward.

He’d been surprised at how easy it had been to talk to the guy but geez, all Jaehyo had wanted to do afterwards was run away because that was the most embarrassing thing he’d done in his life. Being the lone fanboy sucked. There was a reason why he usually preferred going to shows or any other sort of event where there were at least a few guys around (he’d found they were usually brothers or an occasional boyfriend and they always thought he was one of them). Remembering that little wave Zico had thrown him at the end of that fansign still made Jaehyo’s face feel like it was on fire.

 

**ZICO** @ZICO92

_ @FoxZi You have a real talent for taking photographs. If you can, you should think about pursuing it as a career. _

 

His phone hit the ground.

What?

Had...had he really just seen that? There was no way. He’d worked too hard and was hallucinating now. Or he’d fallen asleep at his desk and was having one of the best dreams he’d had in a long while. Though if he was going to dream about Zico, why’d it have to be like this? Pretty lame and tame and he needed to come up with something better if he was going to have Zico on the brain.

Hand shaking, he reached down and picked up his phone.

The message was still there.

This wasn’t a dream. This wasn’t a dream. This wasn’t a dream. This wasn’t a dream. This wasn’t a dream.

He was going to print this out and frame it and put it next to his copy of Gallery. That message really was there. Zico really had found his fansite’s Twitter and left that reply. 

It took him several attempts to finally answer without it being complete gibberish.

 

_ Thank you for the compliment. I’m glad you like my photographs. _

 

He didn’t sound too stupid, did he? Zico had acknowledged his photography skills and that was enough for Jaehyo at the moment. But at the same time, he knew he was a professional and his pride in that wouldn’t let him lie or say otherwise.

-

“What are you doing?”

Kyung’s voice was loud in Jiho’s ear. “Are you seriously looking at yourself on a fansite?”

Would BBCs complain if he cut all of Kyung’s parts in the upcoming album? And that song Kyung was working on too. But then he’d have to come up with something and he was already feeling stressed by the deadline he’d given himself.

“I got tagged in a bunch of photos,” Jiho answered, pushing Kyung away. “Just checking to see what they were.”

“That’s a fansite.” Kyung grinned, the look far too smug for Jiho’s liking. “You’re checking out a fansite~”

“I. Got. Tagged.”

Could this be counted as reasonable homicide? Because Kyung was already setting himself to be annoying as hell. Why in the world had someone decided he needed to have this guy as a friend?

“FoxZi,” Kyung read the name on the screen.

Never in his entire life had Jiho seen such an excited look on Kyung’s face. It was terrifying.

“I. Love. It.” Kyung whipped out his phone. Jiho knew what the guy was doing but he also knew it was too late to stop it. And if he tried, it’d only make Kyung more determined.

Jiho shook his head, not at all amused at how into this Kyung seemed to be. “Enjoying yourself there?”

Kyung shrugged, not looking up from his phone. “These are pretty good.”

The door to the dorm opened and Minho’s laughter greeted them. Jiho wasn’t exactly surprised to see his friend with him. There were a lot of times when it felt like Minho and his actor friend were attached at the hip.

“Hello,” the two greeted, seeing Jiho and Kyung on the dorm’s couch.

Jiho gave a little wave. He was glad to see Kyung drop his phone. At least now the guy might focus on something, someone, else.

The two sat down on the floor by the couch, talking about gangsters. Jiho really hoped it was just an acting project Minho’s friend was involved with. He really didn’t want to think about what their maknae might be getting up to otherwise. That was a headache for another time.

“You’re Jihoon, right?” Kyung asked, leaning over to peer at the friend, obviously interested in their conversation.

The guy nodded, grinning. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“What are talking about?”

Jiho was honestly just glad the attention was off himself. Snagging his phone (because leaving that just sitting out with Kyung around was the worst idea ever), he told them he was heading over to his studio. Which he was. He just wanted a little peace and quiet where he could relax.

 

**FoxZi** @FoxZi

@Zico92  _ Thank you for the compliment. I’m glad you like my photographs. _

 

The message was waiting for him by the time he reached his studio. Looking at it, Jiho was surprised. Somehow he had not expected this sort of reaction. And to be honest, it made him curious to know a little more about this fan. It wasn’t that the message was impolite or anything. It was just not the reaction he expected.

But still, whoever this girl was, well, Jiho knew he’d have to keep an eye out for her even if it looked like she wasn’t one of the ones who frequented fanmeets. From the quick look he’d taken, the only fanmeet he’d seen pictures of had been one of the ones for  _ Gallery _ but he wasn’t sure which one. The things had all blurred together in one big mass of fans and albums and time. It was a curious thing, that the fansite seemed to be so elusive, but maybe she had some sort of other life commitments?

-

Jaehyo listened to the song again, entranced. He couldn’t help it, swaying along with the song and mouthing the words.

Of all the Zicos, this was his favorite. He’d been impressed by leader and producer Zico. He’d found rapper Zico irresistible. He’d enjoyed silly, Block B Zico. But this Zico...he wanted this Zico. It was the unexpected softness of him. For the first time in a long time, Jaehyo thought that this might be the real person underneath the public persona. Or at least, a glimpse of that person and that person absolutely fascinated him.

If he closed his eyes, he could imagine Zico singing to him. A perfect dream, being serenaded to. And this song. It hurt so wonderfully.

He’d never known how much he’d needed this song in his life. He could listen to it a million times and never get sick of it. He probably had listened to it a million times by this point. The next step would be telling Taeil to leave these words next to his photo when Jaehyo died.

Jaehyo must have dozed because the next thing he knew, his phone was ringing. He shot it a look, his song interrupted.

“Hello?” He asked, curious. He didn’t recognize the number..

“Hello,” the person on the other end replied. “I’m looking for an Ahn Jaehyo.”

“That’s me.” Now who was this? He didn’t recognize the voice.

The person chuckled. Was that good? Normally he’d think this was a wrong number but the person was looking for him. “Good. That will make this simple then. I attended your gallery showing a few weeks ago.”

What.

Jaehyo’s eyes grew huge. “You did?” It still didn’t explain who this was.

“I did,” the person, a man Jaehyo finally realized. “I’m always looking for new talent and right now I’m working on setting up a showing for up and coming photographers and I’d like to include some of your work.”

He almost dropped his phone. This was the first time he’d had someone approach him about an offer like this. Obviously he’d had a couple of gallery showings (that was how this person had found him after all) but no one had called him up after one to arrange for another. Each time, he’d gotten the time and space through some connection or by practically begging for it. Sometimes both. No doubt this was some nugu space. But it was still something.

He really did drop his phone when he heard the location of the gallery space.

“Are you sure you want me to be part of this?” He asked, having trouble believing this was real. At this point, he was fairly sure he’d fallen asleep listening to Zico and this was one delusional dream he was having.

There was a chuckle. “Yes. I have an eye for this sort of thing.”

-

Jaehyo reached up, flattening his hair. There were a lot of people here. Way more than he expected. He felt under-dressed too. He didn’t look like a slob but compared to the all people around him...yeah, the fact that he didn’t have a ton of money to spend on expensive clothes was obvious. And unlike a couple of the others who had also been chosen, he hadn’t felt comfortable dressing down and going for an artsy look. That wasn’t really his style.

A woman walked over but right before she reached him, she went to a man who stood a few feet away. Jaehyo wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or not.

“Is this the best you could come up with?”

If anyone else had asked the question, Jaehyo would have been pissed at the insult. Instead, he was honestly just relieved to hear a friendly voice. Besides, he knew Taeil liked to push his buttons and watch him explode.

“This place is really fancy,” Taeil said as they stepped outside. The cool air was nice. It was just on the side of chilly that meant they wouldn’t linger but it wasn’t unpleasant to spend a few minutes outside. Still, it was just enough that Jaehyo felt like he was coming back to himself. He hadn’t been dozing but he’d been in an odd mindset. It was the only way he knew how to describe it.

“It is,” Jaehyo admitted. “I never even dreamed of getting to show at a place like this.” It was unreal. “I feel like I’ve made it.” He couldn’t help the nervous, excited chuckle that followed.

Taeil left a few minutes later, saying he’d promised his parents he’d come over for dinner. Jaehyo wasn’t sure he believed that but he also wasn’t going to hold it against Taeil. This wasn’t his sort of thing. The guy liked fish and tattoos. Artistic photography? Not really one of Taeil’s interests. Just the fact that the guy had shown up had said a lot. Who knew the shrimpy guy he’d met his first day on base would end up being such a good friend? It was a surprise to Jaehyo even now. Moreso that they’d stayed friends since getting out because that hadn’t been the case with most of the others.

“What.”

He stared at the photograph on the wall, unable to miss the little sign that said sold. He’d sold a photograph. That really said sold and his name and he’d sold something at this place and that meant at least one of these people here liked his work.

Okay, so the photograph that had been bought wasn’t one he’d staged. No big deal. It was honestly one of his personal favorites. In a way, he was sad to see the sold sign. Someone else would get to enjoy it but considering he had the original file, he couldn’t complain.

“This one’s pretty cool,” a guy who had been nearby said to him.

Jaehyo nodded, not trusting his voice.

“I wonder how the photographer managed to catch it. I’ve never seen a photograph quite like this,” the guy continued.

“It’s definitely something special,” Jaehyo replied after a moment. “It looks like it has a new home though.”

The guy chuckled. “Yeah. That was me. I like it but I have a friend who I think will love it.”

Well that caught Jaehyo’s attention. He looked at the guy with more interest, curious as to who it was that would buy his work. The guy didn’t look old. Probably around Jaehyo’s own age. Clean-cut and handsome but kind of generic too. Someone who might be missed in a crowd or even just around others with more boisterous personalities.

“I hope your friend likes it,” Jaehyo agreed. “It was a special moment.”

That seemed to catch the guy’s attention. “You’re the photographer, aren’t you?” He asked after a moment.

Jaehyo nodded. “I was out on the ocean one night with my dad when I took it. It wasn’t planned but it’s one of my favorites.” The way the lights of Busan had danced on the water had been captivating. It just...it showed a beauty of his hometown that people didn’t always see. Everyone was always so concerned about Seoul and yes, it was the busy place where almost everything seemed to happen but it was far from the only place in Korea.

But that was just the Busan in him talking.

-

New place and it was oh so comfortable here. The old one had been nice but he’d snagged that one when he’d had less money and had been a little more desperate to get out of the dorm.

Stretching out on his couch, he took a photo and uploaded it to Instagram. Nothing would give away his location. Jiho definitely didn’t need another crazy fangirl trying to break into his apartment. Still, it was a nice little ego boost to see all the likes and comments instantly start rolling in. Why all these fans jumped on every post immediately went beyond Jiho. He did not get that level of obsession but whatever made them happy. So long as they didn’t turn on or abandon him or try to break in, he was cool with it.

Jiho closed his eyes, wondering how long he’d have before someone decided they needed to reach him. He gave it five minutes.

The texts started almost immediately.

None of them seemed urgent so he ignored them. He wanted to shut his brain off for a few minutes, wanted to just be Jiho and relax. Not Zico and ready to go. So he flipped through his phone, scrolling sites in order to distract himself because looking up yourself on fansites was totally a good use of his precious little free time.

He stopped, reading the message on his screen.

-

It was with a heavy heart that Jaehyo posted the message. He hated doing it. He didn’t want to. But it didn’t seem fair to keep going. He set his phone aside, turning off notifications. He didn’t need to see all the sad fans. Didn’t want to see their messages.

FoxZi was gone.

That gallery show a few months ago had been both a blessing and a curse. He’d been so busy since then and while he loved that he was actually starting to make a name for himself, he was sad too. Of all of Block B and Zico’s activities, he’d managed to make it to one show. His love for the man was still there but running FoxZi...he was just too busy to do it.

Closing the site hurt. Which was why Jaehyo was pointedly ignoring his phone now. To be fair, he knew most people had probably seen this already, had realized he didn’t have the time to run the site.  He’d made it clear it was because of work, not a lack of love but he knew some people would still jump on him and claim he’d given up on Zico.

He needed to clear his head. This little apartment was going to drive him crazy if he stayed here much longer. 

Running always helped clear his head. He needed to not think, to just move and do something. His knee didn’t always agree with running but it hadn’t been bothering him for a while so he doubted it’d give him issues now.

In a way it didn’t seem fair. He was finally reaching the level of success in photography but at the cost of giving up his life. It was silly and stupid and he knew he was just a fan but following Zico the last few years...that had been a major part of his life. His heart ached. He just wanted to have both, his career and to continue to watch Zico flourish but it just didn’t seem possible. 

And he hated how much it hurt to realize that. This hurt more than breaking up had been in both of his past relationships which was stupid because both of those had been real things and this had been nothing. So he ran. It was all he could do and maybe if he ran, he could somehow leave the bits of broken heart behind. He didn’t want to look back. He could almost see the pieces of his heart on the pavement.

Being so heartbroken over an idol was stupid. The rational part of his head knew that. Especially a male idol who’d never look at him. Not in that way anyways. The best Jaehyo knew he could ever hope for was something like that time he’d gotten into that  _ Gallery _ fansign. And that had been terrifying. He’d made a fool of himself then and he was just glad that Zico had been kind enough to not laugh at him to his face.

Obviously running wasn’t working.

-

These things were boring. Yes, it was lovely to see the celebration of love but weddings had a tendency to get a bit boring. Besides, most his friends had come with dates or had grouped up. And while he could easily go join a group, could go join the guys in drinking and singing that was going on at the reception, the thought was just not appealing to Jiho.

When part of your job involved singing and dancing, it wasn’t something you necessarily found the most relaxing thing to do in your off time.

The sound of a camera clicking nearby drew Jiho back to himself. He turned, a scowl on his face. Just because he was at a wedding didn’t mean it was open season on taking pictures of him. He wasn’t about to be some bragging point for people he didn’t even know.

A guy stood there, camera in hand. Handsome. It was the first thought to flit through Jiho’s head, temporarily replacing the anger and annoyance. Really fucking handsome actually. And somehow familiar though he had no idea why.

“Sorry, couldn’t help myself,” the guy apologized. He actually sounded like he meant it too. He held up the camera.

“Photographer?” Jiho asked, hoping that’s what this was. He really didn’t want to deal with some obsessive fan right now.

The guy hesitated for a moment. “Kind of?” He answered. “I’m not the official photographer but the bride...she likes my work and asked me if I’d be willing to take some for her.”

A stupid excuse if Jiho had ever heard one. “Sounds fishy to me.”

The guy let go of his camera, letting it fall to his side. “The large photograph in her studio, the one of the buildings looking over water at night, that’s one of mine.”

Was this guy for real? Jiho laughed, unable to help himself. This guy was defensive and something about that was really amusing. “I know the one you’re talking about,” he admitted. “It’s a nice photograph.”

“Busan at night,” the guy answered. He took a step towards Jiho but seemed hesitant to come any closer.

“As long as you don’t take any more pictures, I’m not gonna bite.” Jiho decided to show the guy a little mercy. Besides he was still trying to figure out why this guy looked so familiar. Definitely no one he had seen at something like this before. Or maybe he had? But Jiho was sure he would have remembered someone this good-looking and he was drawing a blank right now.

The guy smiled a little and took a few tentative steps closer until he was almost within reach. “Sorry for not introducing myself before I took the photo. I just...it was one of those perfect moments and I thought if I said something, it would ruin the moment.”

Okay, that was more believable. Jiho was still annoyed about just having his photo taken but the guy seemed okay. “Well you could tell me your name now. And I want to see that photo.”

The look of shock on the guy’s face was amusing. Did he really think Jiho was just going to let him get away with that?

“I...I’m Ahn Jaehyo,” the guy said, almost seeming to stumble over his own name.

Not a name Jiho recognized. He’d been hoping a name would help him figure out why this guy seemed familiar. “I already said I’m not gonna bite.”

Ahn laughed nervously. “It’s just...well...you’re Zico.” He was fidgeting with his hands, apparently not knowing what to do with them. “I’m talking to the great Zico.”

Oh now that was interesting. Jiho was unable to hide the amusement in his voice as he repeated, “the great Zico?”

The guy went red. He opened his mouth to say something but snapped it shut. It was obvious that he didn’t know how to react.

“I still want to see that photo,” Jiho reminded the guy, stepping closer. “Show me?”

Ahn stared for a moment before nodding. “Gi...give me a moment,” he replied, fumbling with his camera.

Fans always were the best to mess with. And it was almost painfully obvious this guy was a fan. If nothing else, the whole ‘great Zico’ bit had given him away.

He still couldn’t place why this guy seemed familiar. They hadn’t met before. Jiho was sure of that. And he couldn’t remember running into this guy at some sort of event like this before. That last one made the most sense but he was fairly sure he’d have remembered an encounter before. The guy kind of stood out (in a good way though).

“Ah, here it is.” Ahn held up his camera, a soft smile on his face. The look suited him. Soft, warm, and inviting. It was different from the looks Jiho usually saw on fans and it made him like Ahn just a bit more.

Leaning over, Jiho looked at the camera. But the picture wasn’t the first thing Jiho noticed.

And then he knew why Ahn seemed so familiar.

“You came to a fansign and asked for a hug.”

He wasn’t sure why the memory suddenly stood out so much. But the scent of the guy’s aftershave (one that reminded Jiho of a bottle he’d been sent a while back and it was odd now that he thought about it because he remembered liking it but had never mentioned that to anyone) had triggered it.

Ahn had a look of...actually Jiho wasn’t sure what that look was. Shame? Or maybe guilt? A little bit of fear? But also a little happiness? It was an odd look, one that looked out of place on the guy’s face. It was a silly thing to think. Jiho didn’t even know the guy but the thought wouldn’t go away.

“I promise I didn’t come here because of you,” Ahn said. Fear. That was definitely a look of fear. “I really was invited to take photographs.”

“But that includes a photograph of me now.” Jiho believed the guy but it was fun to tease him. He couldn’t really get away with teasing fangirls. That just ended up with people calling him mean or leading them on (depending on how it got interpreted--people were so weird sometimes). “One that you still haven’t shown me, I might add.”

He almost felt bad for Ahn. Almost. But there was something about the frozen rabbit look that was cute and piqued Jiho’s interest even more. Most fanboys ended up just rolling with whatever he said or had a look of pure worship (but in a true idolizing sense and not in the ‘I love you, you’re my bias’ sense) on their faces. Ahn...wasn’t really following that pattern.

Ahn took the camera off from where it’d been hanging around his neck and handed it over. Apparently he was trying to keep his distance now. If Jiho didn’t know any better, he’d almost think he was dealing with a fangirl now.

Jiho reached to take the camera, fingers brushing Ahn’s hand as he did so. He thought the guy would almost drop the camera. Ahn was shaking. Not badly but just enough that it was noticeable. Something was up with this guy. In a way, Jiho felt bad for him.

But he was still curious about the photograph the guy had taken of him.

Jiho knew he wasn’t the traditional sort of handsome. He knew with enough make-up and experience in posing that some might call him attractive. Still, for him, he knew he mostly pulled it off thanks to his confidence and a fandom who would call one of his shits cute.

This photograph though? Fuck he looked good. Better than good. Fan-fucking-tastic. This had to be up there as one of the best photos taken of him. And Jiho had been in a lot of photos before.

It was a profile shot. He wasn’t quite in the light but just enough to make him look striking. And the look on his face...Jiho didn’t know he could look like that. Not tough or hard. Not tired. Not forcing a smile or even showing a genuine one. Just...relaxed and at peace.

If his mother ever saw this, she’d want a million copies of it to put up everywhere.

“This is really good.” For some reason the words wanted to stick in his throat. They were hard for Jiho to say and he didn’t know why.

Ahn looked surprised. Jiho didn’t know why. It was obvious the guy had a talent for taking pictures. “Really good,” Jiho repeated, feeling like an idiot.

“Th...thanks,” Ahn replied. He seemed to be having trouble speaking too which did help a little.

Jiho held out the camera. He was honestly curious to see more of the photos on it but it felt rude to just start going through them. “Mind showing me some more?”

Ahn stared at the camera, almost like he was afraid it’d bite him. Then he slowly reached for it, carefully taking it from Jiho. There was no accidental hand brushing this time. Weird how that was mildly disappointing. Jiho decided to not let himself dwell on that.

“Here,” Ahn said after a few moments, holding out the camera again. Jiho leaned over to get a better look.

It was a picture of the bride. For some reason that alone was a surprise. The photo was cute which was also a surprise. It wasn’t anything that would end up in an official wedding album but it was the sort of photo that someone would cherish. She had most of her face hidden by her hands but her eyes peeked through her fingers, revealing a playful look. She wasn’t hiding because she was shy. She was hiding because she was playing and that was just a part of her personality.

“All I have are things from this,” Ahn explained, sounding apologetic. “There’s nothing special or amazing. Just a lot of stuff like this.”

But it was special. Jiho was used to people who downplayed their abilities so they wouldn’t offend others or so that they didn’t come off as sounding arrogant. Not Ahn. It should have been annoying but instead it just made Jiho more curious about this fan. Which was stupid. The smart part of his brain had been yelling that he was letting himself be too friendly with someone who was a fan already (and one who had been dedicated enough to get into a fanmeet). But he couldn’t stop himself.

“You have a talent for this.”

Well that was a lame thing to say.

Jiho glanced over at Ahn. The photo was nice and the bride was beautiful but he was more interested in the guy next to him at the moment. The expression on Ahn’s face was surprised but happy. Again, he had a softness to him. And geez, the guy was tall. Had to be about Jiho’s own height or maybe a little taller. Not much though if that was the case. Jiho knew that he wasn’t the tallest (and definitely not the shortest) but he was used to dealing with fangirls and that almost always meant looking down.

“Thanks. That...that means a lot to me.” Ahn almost sounded embarrassed. He looked like he might be embarrassed too. It was a good look on him.

A familiar voice yelled from inside, calling Jiho’s name. “I’m being summoned,” he said, sighing. He didn’t actually mind but it was a shame too. He had a feeling that Ahn would vanish. There was nothing to support that feeling but it was still there.

“Sounds like.” Ahn chuckled softly, nervously. “It was nice talking to you.”

“Yeah, same.” Jiho felt like he should say something else but he couldn’t think of what. “I’ll see you around.”

It wasn’t until he was leaving that he realized he should have asked for the guy’s number.

-

Laying in bed, Jaehyo wondered if it had all been a dream. Even now, hours later, Jaehyo felt like his skin was buzzing as the excitement and adrenaline still coursed through his system. There was no way that had happened. No way at all.

But it had. He knew it. And all because he’d taken a random snapshot. To be honest, he hadn’t realized who it was when he’d first seen Zico standing there. He took the picture without thinking, wanting to capture the moment before it vanished.

His camera sat across the room, looking innocent but Jaehyo knew what was on it. He knew he should have backed everything up the moment he got home (because sorting through and editing could wait until tomorrow) but he needed this moment. He needed to just come to terms with the fact that he’d met Woo Jiho and had had a friendly conversation with the guy. That Zico hadn’t dismissed Jaehyo for being a fan. That Zico had been interested in his photography.

It was like something out of a dream.

He half wondered if his alarm would go off at some point and he’d find out that it really had been a dream.

But it hadn’t been. He knew it hadn’t been but it was still hard to believe.

He wasn’t going to get any sleep.

Jaehyo rolled off his bed, making his way over to his desk where his camera sat next to his laptop. If he wasn’t going to sleep, he could be productive. At least that was the thought.

Instead he found himself staring at that photo he’d taken of Zico. A work of art (not that he would EVER actually say those words out loud). But it was. All the feelings from earlier came back and threatened to overwhelm him. He wanted to keep this to himself. He wanted to share it. This would have been an amazing image to put on FoxZi.

But FoxZi was dead.

Jaehyo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. There was another option but he was scared to do it. Posting on FoxZi had given him a level of anonymity but this? It’d leave him wide open. Although posting it on FoxZi might have been worse. Zico didn’t know that Jaehyo had been the one behind that site but Zico did know what Jaehyo’s name was.

It was nerve racking, posting that photo to his personal instagram. Thankfully the account didn’t have anything too embarrassing on it. Definitely nothing that would link him to the former master behind a Zico fansite.

And now that he’d posted it, Jaehyo felt the energy that had been buzzing through him drain away.

He laid down, feeling more at peace than he had been all day. Earlier in the day, he’d been nervous about the reception and then after that, the incident with Zico...it had been the craziest day in a long time, possibly ever, for Jaehyo.


End file.
